Outkast Archives

Photos: Lollapalooza 2014

Originally a touring festival with a name defined by “an extraordinary or unusual thing,” the mammoth that is Lollapalooza continues to live up to its moniker. The crowd continues to swell, the corporate signage multiplies, and the average age drops with each installment of the Chicago festival.

Review: Killer Mike’s RAP Music

Killer Mike: RAP Music (Williams Street)

“Don’t Die”

[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Killer_Mike_Dont_Die.mp3|titles=Killer Mike: “Don’t Die”]

Like words themselves, Atlanta rap veteran Mike Render (a.k.a. Killer Mike) has the potential to be misunderstood. The hardcore southern rhymer — who first came to prominence thanks to his affiliation with Outkast — is a self-proclaimed “pan-Africanist gangster rapper, civic leader, and activist,” and his profile as the latter has been elevated recently by outspoken campaigns for Trayvon Martin, Troy Davis, and the Occupy movement.

Review: Portland Cello Project’s Homage

Portland Cello Project: Homage (Jealous Butcher)

“H*A*M” (Kanye West & Jay-Z)

[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/05-H_A_M.mp3|titles=Portland Cello Project: “H*A*M”]

Since 2007, the Portland Cello Project has taken the cello where few have gone before, offering chamber and string-based renditions of movie themes, pop songs, classical pieces, and more — even metal tunes such as Pantera’s “Mouth for War.” The group’s live and recorded output now boasts more than 900 pieces, varying between straightforward arrangements with a handful of cellos to setups of grandiose proportions, with a dozen of its namesake instrument being supported by full choirs, winds, and percussion.

Album Download: Kenan Bell’s Summer Solstice Vol. 3

Kenan Bell: Summer Solstice Vol. 3 (12/21/11)

Kenan Bell: “Book of the Month (feat. Ayomari & Carl Roe)”

[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/04-Book-Of-The-Month-featuring-Ayomari-Carl-Roe.mp3|titles=Kenan Bell: “Book of the Month (feat. Ayomari & Carl Roe)”]

Indie rapper Kenan Bell releases the third installment of his Summer Solstice mixtape series tomorrow, the summer solstice for the Southern hemisphere. On this collection, the former Montessori schoolteacher samples the likes of Caribou (“Caribou”), Lovage (“Book of the Month”), the Talking Heads (“Home”), and plenty more, layering his signature nerd rap over each and making them his own.

A day before its official release, ALARM presents an exclusive download of SSV3. (And if you haven’t already, be sure to download Summer Solstice Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.)

Bell also provided some commentary below for SSV3. We advise that you listen to it in its entirety while enjoying his behind-the-scenes notes.